Description
This cheesy stuffed chicken breast with asparagus and tomato is a one-pan wonder! Total crowd pleaser with leftovers for lunch.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 6 ounces of cream cheese
- 8 ounce package of sharp provolone cheese
- 1 teaspoon herbs de provence (or Italian seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 medium to large tomato
- 12 stalks of asparagus
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley (optional garnish)
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
**You’ll need toothpicks to secure the chicken after stuffing.
NOTE: Keep it simple and use an oven-safe pan for this one – less dishes! We sear the chicken first then cook in oven.
Instructions
- Butterfly your chicken breasts. Slice down the side with a knife and spread the breast open. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Cover with plastic wrap and pound the chicken to approximately ¼” thickness. My video shows this well.
- I only needed one medium to large tomato for this recipe. Just remove the core and slice the tomato. You should get four good slices from it. Then I cut the slices in half. So two half slices is what we’re looking for per chicken breast.
- The asparagus. All you’re doing here is cutting off the discolored ends. I usually cut off the white and purple part.
- Shred your 8 ounce block of sharp provolone cheese. I think the sharp provolone is a great complement to the cream cheese so make sure you read the package and that is says “sharp” provolone.
- Slice four strips of cream cheese. You may need more or less depending on the size of your chicken breasts. Cheese is kind of discretionary. If you want to stuff as much as you can fit – you can do that.
- Stuff the chicken! Lay down the cream cheese slices. Then the tomatoes. Then Asparagus. Top with the shredded sharp provolone. Gently fold over. Stick the toothpicks into the side of the chicken breast. Remember, we’ll be searing the top and bottom of the chicken so placing the toothpicks into the side is necessary. Repeat the process until all the chicken is stuffed.
- Season the chicken. Sprinkle your salt, pepper, ½ of the herbs de provence and ½ of the paprika on the top of the chicken. If you don’t have herbs de provence you can substitute with Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried thyme or rosemary.
- Put olive oil in a large, oven-safe pan and heat on med-high heat. Add the stuffed chicken breasts to the pan – seasoned side down. Sprinkle the remaining herbs de provence and paprika on the chicken. Let them cook for three minutes. Flip them over in the pan to cook the other side for three minutes. They should have a nice golden sear (see video). Put your pan in a preheated oven at 375 degrees and cook, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes. I always have a thermometer handy to stick in the chicken. The internal temp of the chicken should be 165 degrees before consuming. You want it cooked through with no pink. Everyone’s oven is different. My oven runs hot. Check the internal temp of chicken at the 15 minute mark.
- While the chicken is cooking, you can chop your parsley garnish if you’re using that.
- When the chicken is finished, you can plate it individually or serve on a platter. I let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Again, the chicken breasts I used were huge (it’s all they had at the store) so you could also cut the pieces in half and serve with a side dish or salad. Don’t forget to pull out all those toothpicks!
Enjoy!
Equipment
![Image of Calphalon Saute Pan with Lid (5QT)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31lKXhL94+L._SL500_.jpg)
Calphalon Saute Pan with Lid (5QT)
Buy Now →![Image of Small Sheet Pan](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51TEtk0P2AL._SL500_.jpg)
![Image of Large Sheet Pan](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31zjJRVCg1L._SL500_.jpg)
![Image of Kitchen Mallet (Meat Tenderizer)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/310r8N-kWIL._SL500_.jpg)
Kitchen Mallet (Meat Tenderizer)
Buy Now →![Image of Box Grater, Stainless Steel](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41q8x1JhTmL._SL500_.jpg)
![Image of Coring Tool](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31CRaPRkwSL._SL500_.jpg)
Notes
- Best reheating method for leftovers: I reheated this in a pan, on the stovetop, covered, on very low heat for about 7-10 minutes. Tasted as good as when I made it.
- BONUS: This is freezable!! I tested this and I couldn’t believe the result. I wrapped it in plastic wrap, then put in a covered plastic container. A week later, I put it in the refrigerator overnight, then reheated in a pan as described above. It seriously tasted exactly the same.